Without giving Superbus a moment's respite, John charged forward, unleashing a torrent of deadly strikes.
Each motion brought either a kick or punch, often followed by a spell. Streaks of light and fire lit up the room like fireworks, flashing against the walls.
Superbus's sword grazed John's face yet again. Shifting his weight, John let it pass by, narrowly avoiding its edge. He lifted his hand, palm open and aimed at the creature's face.
"Fire Ball!"
The words left his mouth in a shout as a ball of fire ignited in his palm, casting an eerie glow over Superbus's helmet.
Boom!
The flame engulfed Superbus's head, forcing him to reel back. With a swift sidestep, John dodged, preparing for his next strike.
Just a few inches from his forearm, a spear of ice began to form, condensing from the mana pulsing through his veins.
With a sharp motion, his arm swung down, slamming the ice into Superbus's side.
BOOM! Splat!
The impact of his knuckles against the armor echoed like a muted thunderclap as metal warped under the force.
Once again, Superbus staggered sideways, struggling to regain balance. But John moved faster. He seized the ice spear next to him and plunged it toward the visor in Superbus's helmet.
Splat!
He felt everything—the tip of the spear piercing the monster's eye, tearing through nerves, and finally shattering bone at the back of the socket.
Sickly green blood sprayed onto John's hand, hot and slick.
In a last-ditch effort, Superbus swung his sword, bringing it down with all his might. One blow after another, too fast for the eye to follow, tore at John.
Small cuts began to cover his body, but he pressed on, refusing to yield even an inch. Just then, Superbus's sword flared with energy, cutting through the air with a sound like tearing fabric.
This was no mere spell.
An enormous wave of pure, condensed mana surged toward John. He bent every muscle in his legs and leaped, spinning in mid-air to dodge.
But the damage was done: Noah's corpse lay still nearby, poised to be engulfed by the knight's attack. Superbus, in the distance, stared with his one remaining eye, unmoving but watchful, as if gauging John's reaction.
"Noooo! Noah!!"
In that moment, the corpse stirred.
Shoom!
A wave of heat rolled over John and Superbus alike. Noah's body lifted from the ground, shrouded in dark flames that licked and curled around him. The fire seemed to implode, vanishing before exploding outward.
BOOOOM!
The board beneath their feet trembled with the force of the explosion. Noah's eyes opened, revealing a dark abyss within his irises.
"N-Noah?! H-How is this possible?"
"It doesn't matter. Let's finish this…"
____________
"Are you ready to die?"
Father Jeffrey's voice was low, his gaze piercing as he looked between the two young fighters. His finger pointed at Kevin like a warning, making the young man's skin crawl.
"Shit! Holy Shield!"
Kevin shouted, raising his shield.
Shoom! Crash!
In an instant, his barrier of light shattered like fragile glass.
"Why delay the inevitable?" the priest murmured, his tone bored, as if he found the whole affair beneath him.
With a careless gesture, he released his grip on his sword. Instead of falling, it hovered mid-air before him, morphing into a floating sphere.
"Let me show you… my true power."
Grrrr
The sphere seemed to growl in response, vibrating with dark energy. Almost instantly, hundreds of spikes formed on its surface.
"Go," Jeffrey ordered.
The spikes obeyed, launching in all directions.
______________
Noah felt his heart pound as warmth flooded back into his body, spreading from his chest to his fingertips.
He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them.
Good… Everything is in place.
In front of him, a blue message hovered in the air:
______________
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A SECRET ACHIEVEMENT: "DEATH TRYER"
YOUR CLASS IS REACTING TO THE NEW ACHIEVEMENT!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE GAINED GREATER INSIGHT INTO YOUR ROLE!
NEW SKILLS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO YOUR ARSENAL!
______________
Almost absently, Noah glanced at his status.
______________
Name: Noah Gallagher
Gender: Male
Level: 19
______________
Skills:
CORPSE RESURRECTION (Great Commander) LV. 3
The power to resurrect and command the dead. Increases the number of minions controlled with each level.
MARTIAL ARTIST [EX]
An exclusive skill. Enhances reaction times, movements, and combat abilities.
DEATH FLAME LV.3
A flame from the underworld. It cools rather than heats, setting anything it touches ablaze.
DEATH SUPPORTER [EX]
Death is but the beginning for your subordinates; they continue to grow even in death.
MANA VISION [EX]
A sixth sense possessed by few. Allows the user to perceive everything within their mana range.
[NEW] BLINK (1)
Instantly move forward 3 meters, ignoring obstacles in the way.
[NEW] SHADOW REALM [EX]
A space within one's shadow, used to store or summon followers at a distance.
[NEW] RAINING BLOOD LV. 1
Summon a rain of blood from the sky, inflicting bleed status on enemies.
[NEW] BLOOD STORM
Blood rains from the heavens, forming spears in a designated area.
[NEW] SPECTRAL GRASP LV. 1
Pulls enemies close, inducing fear and stealing a portion of their energy.
[NEW] COFFIN KEEPER
Establishes a domain in the surrounding area. Skills do not consume mana here, but it drains life force instead.
______________
COINS: 46,120
______________
"Hm… He would be useful for this fight."
Noah's shadow began spreading over the floor, covering more than half of the chessboard. It churned and roiled, almost as if it were alive. From the darkness, a figure rose.
"My lord, you summoned me?" the skeletal samurai asked.
"Yes, Gozen. See that knight over there? Finish him."
"As you command, my lord."
______________
The tiny spikes that had covered Jeffrey's sphere suddenly enlarged and shot in all directions. Moving nimbly, Isabelle dodged each one, poised to strike back.
"If you want to play the numbers game… then I'll answer in kind!"
She raised her sword, summoning small stars that floated beside her.
"Star Dome!"
She cried, swinging her blade of light.
With a flash, the stars shot down, crashing into the oncoming spikes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each collision sent shards flying. Isabelle's icy eyes locked onto the priest.
"Yami! Now!"
A low rumble echoed as cracks began appearing in the walls. Jeffrey's eyes darted to the walls, where small fractures snaked across the stone.
Crack!
The wall exploded outward. A massive creature loomed beyond, gripping the entire upper structure of the church in its claws, as if it were a child's toy.
"There you are, little one!"
Isabelle called out to the enormous dragon.
__________
"It will only take a moment, my lord."
Gozen's voice echoed as he fixed his gaze on Superbus.
Calmly, he allowed his arm—or rather, the bones that made it up—to dangle out from his open cloak.
Tack
Tack
Tack
The sound of his sandals against the floor reverberated through the hall.
Step by step, the skeleton approached the knight, stopping mere paces from him.
Gozen's fingers brushed the hilt of his sword.
"Mh… Quick Slash!"
Clack
Clack
The blade left its sheath with such speed that it became invisible to the others.
"It's done, my lord," the skeleton said, turning to his master.
Splat
Behind him, Superbus's head separated from his body, unleashing a burst of blood.
For a few moments, his body kept moving, trying to lift the weapon in his hands before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Incredible... he didn't even have the chance to use his skill...
Noah thought, astonished by the scene.
Without saying a word, Gozen knelt before him.
______________
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED SUPERBUS, THE PRIMORDIAL SIN!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED THE TITLE "SIN SLAYER (7)"!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE GAINED 10,000 EXPERIENCE POINTS!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE GAINED 10,000 EXPERIENCE POINTS!
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE ONE OF THE REWARDS!
THE FIRST ORIGINAL DUNGEON HAS BEEN CONQUERED!
WORLD SYNCHRONIZATION WILL BEGIN AFTER YOU MAKE YOUR CHOICE!
______________
"Well done, Gozen."
Noah's voice resonated with a strange glint in his eyes.
______________
Yami towered over the surrounding buildings, as if he were in a miniature world.
Black and violet scales covered his body like an armor encrusted with gemstones.
Golden eyes, marked by slit irises like those of a serpent, focused on Father Jeffrey.
A prey—that's how the priest felt under the creature's gaze. But for Yami, calling him that would've been too generous. A mere insect.
No, not even that.
A speck of sand. In Yami's mind, the human was nothing more than a microscopic grain of sand in his playground.
What should I do, Mother?
He communicated telepathically to Isabelle.
Kill him, eat him, do whatever you wish. Just make him suffer.
And with that, the dragon's claw crashed down on the man.
Shoom
Like water, Jeffrey slipped between the creature's claws.
Gripping his weapon, the priest pulled his arm back, then extended it forward, mimicking a javelin throw.
The sword left his hand, taking on a streamlined shape.
Like a meteor, the weapon cut through the air, soon reaching Yami's gaping maw.
It will pierce him straight through! Hahaha!
But it didn't happen.
The dragon's jaws closed, making the weapon disappear within.
A lump formed in the beast's throat, then slid down to the base of his neck.
Yami! How many times have I told you not to eat things off the ground?!
Sorry, Mother...
Spit it out, now!
An odd expression appeared on the beast's face, similar to a dog scolded by its owner.
The lump that had just vanished reappeared in the creature's throat, this time moving the other way.
The dragon opened his jaws, revealing his sharp teeth.
Jeffrey's gaze fixed on the grotesque display.
He barely registered that his sword had already been spat out, lying there right beside him.
A searing pain struck his right side, and he looked down.
W-What the…?
Where his arm had once been, there was now nothing. Half of his torso was gone as well.
Slowly, the dragon's mouth drew closer, bringing with it the acrid scent of death.
For a brief second, everything turned dark, then a blinding light engulfed him.